TOW Cheers
by angelface3
Summary: The gang takes a trip to Boston and that famous little bar there seems to have an impact on everyone involved. Mainly a Ross, Rachel, Sam, and Diane fic.
1. A chance trip and meeting

TOW Cheers  
  
This is a Friends crossover with Cheers. This will take place in season 3 of Friends before the Xerox girl, so Ross and Rachel are still together. In Cheers, this will take place after the first time Sam and Diane broke up. This fic will focus on Ross, Sam, Rachel, and Diane--so I'm not going to put most of the other characters in mainly, just a little. Also, after working on my alternate season 8, I've discovered that I'm not as good at script format as I am in regular story, so this will be in regular story format.  
  
Disclaimer: I own neither Cheers or Friends. Sometimes I wish I owned David Schwimmer or Ted Danson though. This is not for profit, just for fun.   
  
Friends  
One Monday afternoon Rachel was waiting for her boyfriend that she treasured deeply, Ross Gellar, at Central Perk to see if they were going to get together this week, depending on the schedule he should've recieved that day. Ross walked in the doors, and walked over to where Rachel and their four friends, Chandler, Monica, Joey, and Phoebe, were sitting around the table. He looked as if he was about ready to burst from excitement, in fact, he was a bit flushed in the cheeks. He took his usual spot in the chair, and Rachel walked over to him, sat down on his lap, and they shared a long, passionate kiss. After some applause from their friends, the two broke the kiss embarrassed with themselves.   
Then Ross remembered his news. He said, "Rachel, sweetie, what are you doing next week?" The excitement in his voice filled the room, and Rachel replied, "Nothing, honey, why?" "Well, because I have to go down to Boston next week to work as a consultant in their museum, and I thought that it'd be nice if I went ahead and paid the way for you, and whoever else wants to come with me, for a vacation type-thing. It'll be really fun, and you don't have to stay with me all week, you all can do whatever you want." Monica, Ross's sister, was the first to reply, "Heck, yeah, I'll go! It's not everyday you offer me a vacation all expenses paid." Phoebe and Joey exchanged a glance, and said simultaneously, "We're in."   
Chandler was not as quick as the others, but he acted thoughtful, and slowly said, "Well, let's see, I have my hole-in-the ground gets-me-nowhere BORING job, no dates at all, my friends will all be there, c'mon Ross, whaddya think?? Of course I'll be there! It may not be my ideal vacation spot, but it's better than sticking around here alone for a week." But Chandler Bing was grinning and being sarcastic as usual.   
Ross looked around, more excited than ever, then he looked at Rachel, and said, "Well, sweetie, what about you?" She replied by kissing him again, and said,"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Ross grinned at her sexily, then he looked at everyone and said, "Then it's settled, next Monday, we leave for Boston, Massachussetts."  
  
Cheers  
Two days later, in a small bar fondly named Cheers, a distraught, angry, and frustrated Diane Chambers walked into the bar like a zombie. She had been torn up for awhile now, three days, in fact, after Sam Malone had cost her her very own heart. He had broke it into a million little pieces, and tossed them out the window. She had loved Sam so deeply that it hurt her very being to think of life without him, even though he was a jerk, or so she thought.   
Sam couldn't help but feel bad for his now ex-girlfriend. Maybe he screwed up this time, but he didn't honestly think that was the case in this instance.   
  
Carla immdediately noticed Diane's weird behavior and she poked her nose in and said, 'Well, Miss Bright-Heart, what's the deal today?' Diane shook her head sadly, and quietly, almost monotonely asked, "Carla, where's Sam? It's urgent that I speak to him." Carla just motioned toward Sam's office. Diane slowly made her way to Sam's office, dreading what would soon take place. She didn't knock, she just walked in, and handed him a piece of paper, a little pink one. She was quitting. Sam looked up at her in dismay, and said, "Diane, why? We need you here, and you need the job and you know it." She just sadly replied, "There's nothing left for me here Sam, you hate me-none of the others ever really liked me." She was getting hysterical, so Sam walked over to where she was and just wrapped his arms around her while she cried. When she was finished, he said, "Diane, nobody knows about our break-up but us. I didn't feel right telling them while you were gone these past few days. Plus, I haven't had a chance to talk about it with you, yet. What do you want me to say?" Diane held her head a bit higher at that moment and said, "Say nothing, I'll do the talking." And she walked out the door with Sam hot on her heels.  
  
Everybody in the bar watched with awe at the couple that was so obviously in love, as Diane took center stage and clinked a beer glass. Everybody turned their heads as she said, "Everybody, I-well, we, have and announcement to make. Sam and I have discussed it and we feel that it is the right thing for us now. We've made a decision that will affect our lives and the bar's future." Carla cut her off by shrieking, "NO, NO! YOU CAN'T MARRY HER! SHE'LL BE MY BOSS! WHY SAM, WHY?!?!?" Just as she was about to faint, a startled Diane, said, "No, we're NOT engaged. In fact, we've broken up." Carla, relieved, said, "Oh, thank God." The others started buzzing with excitement and disappointment. For the most part, they had all enjoyed the generally happy couple, and they could all see how perfect Sam and Diane really were together. And how the two would soon regret this decision in their lives.  
  
Friends  
Meanwhile, the week in New York City had flown by for Rachel and the gang. They were all extremely pumped about going to Boston even if they really had no clue what the big deal about Boston was. They just figured they could go bar-hopping and they could pick dates up--well, except Ross and Rachel. Monica was so pumped that she had overseen the packing three nights before the plane was due to leave. Twenty four hours before the flight she had went through everyone's luggage twice, and did last-minute additions. Joey and Chandler, were both frankly, sick of seeing her face in the apartment. Ross had spent the night with Rachel and Monica, in Rachel's room of course. And Phoebe had spent the night with Chandler and Joey as well, so they could all be right there to take taxis together to the airport. When the time finally arrived, Monica had them out the doors and into 3 seperate taxis about six hourse before takeoff. In fact, when they got to LaGuardia, the check-in lady laughed at them for being too early. So they waited, and waited, and waited. Finally, they were able to board the plane.  
  
Rachel sat on her seat totally relaxed. She had Ross on one side of her, and the window on the other. Monica, Phoebe, Joey, and Chandler were all sitting together towards the back of the plane. She leaned over and gave Ross a kiss, since they were alone and all. He grinned, and said, "Well, sweetie, what was that for?" Rachel said, "For being so nice, loving me, and taking me on a really nice, romantic getaway for the two of us and the four of them." Ross looked a little surprised at that last part, and said, "Honey, it's a business trip. You'll be able to do as much as you want, but I have to work. Maybe we can go to dinner once or twice this week and see how that goes. But I can't promise much alone time except at night." Rachel got that fire in her eyes that says she's angry and she said, "WHAT?!? You conned me here just so you could get some in between meetings?" Ross shrank back, but didn't say a word. She continued, "So that's it, is it? You weren't planning on fitting me in to your BUSY schedule? Well, then, I just won't fit you into mine either. I hope you have an excellent trip, Dr. Gellar." Then she got up, before Ross could say anything and went over to Mon, Chan, Pheebs, and Joey, to trade seats with Chandler. She also realized that it was a good thing they had already decided to sleep boys with boys and girls with girls, because as far as Rachel was concerned, this trip she was single!  
  
Cheers  
Back at Cheers, Sam and Diane were the only two left waiting on one customer who just would NOT leave. Well, they actually didn't mind it too much, after all Norm was the best-know customer in the bar. But there was a strange aura in the air. You could feel the tension, and Norm was the first to notice it. He thought about it for awhile, and realized that Sam and Diane probably needed some alone time to talk. So he got up and walked out.  
  
Diane was both relieved and frustrated that Norm had walked out so early. She could go home earlier, but first, she had to face Sam about their recent decision. But Sam, being Sam, wasn't really in the mood to talk about it. And then she found out why. Sam was going on his first date since the break-up, it had only been a few days, and he HAD A DATE! At first, she was appalled, but after concluding that he was no longer hers, she acted like she didn't care. 'Let him do whatever the hell he wants!' she thought to herself. She looked at Sam and smiled her prettiest smile and said, "Sam, have a good time tonight. Don't try to think about me, otherwise you might make your date a little angry. I think I'm going to go home now." Sam just looked at her and said, "Okay, Diane, Goodnight." And with that she was gone. But he watched her feet go up the stairs, and they were running, and he could tell she was much more affected than she let on.  
  
The next morning, Sam headed into the bar early for inventory because his date the previous night had been a disaster. He HAD thought about Diane, so much that he called her name out while he was kissing the other lady. So he thought it would do him some good to get over to Cheers and be in his enviornment for awhile alone. When he got there, he was shocked to see a young lady sitting outside crying. He looked down at her, and said, "Excuse me, Miss, I own this place. You're welcome to come in and sit awhile. I'll get you a drink if you like." The striking young woman peered up at him shyly, but relieved she said, "Oooh.. thank you sooo much! That would be.. it would be great." Sam was shocked at how beautiful this woman was, and he looked at her curiously and said, "I'm Sam Malone. Could I get the name of the beautiful woman of whose needs I'm catering to?" She grinned at him gratefully, and said, "Hello Sam. My name's Rachel Green." Their eyes locked, and they just stood there smiling for what seemed like forever, and then, he moved to unlock the door.  
  
Rachel allowed herself to be led into the mysterious, yet handsome, man's place. When she walked in, she realized that it was a bar, not a restaurant. She giggled to herself, and she could only see Sam at that second. It was almost as if they had known each other for years, but they both knew they didn't. After a couple hours of talking, Sam looked at Rachel seriously, and asked, "Well, Rachel, why is it exactly that you showed up on my doorstep crying your heart and soul out today? What happened?" Rachel allowed herself to briefly think back on the events that occurred the night before. Then she swallowed her pride, because for some reason, she trusted Sam, and she began with, "Well, it's a long story, but I'll tell you anyway..."  
***  
Flashback to night before  
When they finally reached the attractive little hotel Ross had booked, Rachel and Ross were not talking at all! They hadn't spoken a single word to each other all day. Then Ross announced the news, there weren't just two rooms, there were three, and now they'd have to sleep boy, girl, boy, girl since Rachel wasn't speaking to him. So Rachel and Chandler shared as did Monica and Joey, and, Phoebe and Ross. After they had all settled in, Rachel, Monica, and Phoebe had went shopping while Ross went to work. When the girls came in around 1:30 a.m., Ross was waiting outside of Rachel's room. And he was FURIOUS! And DRUNK! They fought and fought into all hours of the night, until finally, Ross just looked at Rachel and said, "Rach, you were it for me. I loved you so much, but I just realized tonight that I don't trust you. And I should trust you." Rachel had sat there stunned, and she slowly said, "Ross, I've been thinking. I think that maybe we rushed into everything, and we should just take a break for awhile." Ross's eyes filled with tears, as did Rachel's, and he replied, "I'm not going to wait for me to trust you. Rachel, I'm sorry. I've been wondering for awhile, but I think it's time this relationship was ended. I'm breaking up with you." Rachel was sobbing, and she just looked at him and nodded her head.   
  
Then she took off running back to her and Chandler's room, where he spent the remainder of the night trying to calm a hysterical Rachel down. But strangely, she didn't felt as if a steamroller had come in and flattened her heart. Over 6 months down the drain. She and Ross hadn't spoken since, and she didn't really care. She fell asleep in the comfort of Chandler's arms, and awoke tense, so she took a walk and ended up at Cheers.  
***  
  
Sam looked into Rachel's eyes, and for a second, he thought he could see into her soul. Then he looked at the rest of her and realized how beautiful Rachel really was. He, in that moment, felt more for her than he had ever felt for Diane. Then he asked, "Rachel, did you love him?" She looked at Sam, and answered honestly, "Of course I did. He owned every inch of my heart and soul. But he doesn't trust me, and I can't go on like that. Neither can he. So I have to get over it somehow, and I will. By the way, why is it that you showed up here at the bar so early this morning? Do you have a sad story to tell as well?' Sam grinned and Rachel felt shivers go down her spine, but he looked at her and said, "I broke up with my girlfriend, Diane, about 5 days ago, and she's held it over my head ever since. The worst part is that she affected me in such a way that I haven't been able to get her out of my mind with other women. I loved her so much. She and I were just not meant to be. But the longer I sit here looking at you, I wonder about you and I." Rachel blushed because she had been thinking the exact same thing. They exchanged smiles and he said, "It's about noon now, would you like to go grab a bite to eat somewhere? Then we could go to a movie. And if you'd like, after that, you can hang around Cheers and you can meet my friends, and you can bring your friends by, and I can meet these people you seem to think so fondly of." Rachel's eyes lit up for the first time since they had boarded the plane yesterday, and she said, "That sounds-that sounds fantastic! Do I look okay to be seen in public though?" Sam looked her up-and-down and said, "Darling, you look good enough to eat." Then they walked out of the bar, arm-in-arm.  
  
While Rachel was out with Sam, Ross had just woken up. He had sent himself into a drunken frenzy the night before, and he was sure he had broken up with Rachel, which he now regretted. He saw it all so clearly, he had been a fool, and he had ended it all with his soul-mate because she was out with his sister. Phoebe slowly peeked her head around the doorframe when she heard Ross moan. She walked over to him, and she was looking a little worried. Ross looked up at her and said, "It's nothing Phoebe, just a hangover. Where's Rachel?" Phoebe said nothing. Ross kept going, "I made a huge mistake last night. I was going to propose this week and I tried to throw her off, but instead I got drunk and I broke up with her. Where is she? I need to talk to her?" Phoebe looked him straight in the eye and said, "Ross, she just called. She's been out since 6:30 this morning, just walking around town. And she met a guy, who's been comforting her. She's with him Ross. They're on a date. She's too stunned at everything that happened last night. I'm so sorry. I'm sure she had no idea you would propose. We're supposed to meet her and this man tonight at some bar named Cheers. You're invited too." Ross just numbly nodded his head and said, "Okay...I'll go, but only for Rachel."  
  
Diane was at the museum watching the stars in the planetarium. She had sat through three shows, just crying to herself. When she finally worked up the nerve to go outside, she ran, literally, into a man who seemed to be in quite a hurry. Their eyes met, and she smiled, and she thought to herself, 'He's quite the catch. He'll be perfect to get back at Sam with for dumping me.' The man on the other end of these thoughts was Ross, who was thinking the exact same thing about Rachel. Diane stuck out her hand and said, "Hello, there. Sorry for being so clumsy, I just didn't see you. I'm Diane Chambers." Ross replied, "Oh, it's okay. It's not too bad being burrowed over by a pretty lady every once in awhile. My name's Ross Gellar's. I'm pleased to meet you." "As I am you." They started talking about things, such as love, fate, and dinosaurs until Diane said, "Please excuse me for being so forward, but I work at this little bar called Cheers. Would it be okay if you stopped by sometime tonight? I'd enjoy the company." Mentally, Ross realized that that was the exact bar that Rachel had asked to meet the gang at. He looked at her steadily and said, "What time does your shift begin?" She grinned, "9:00." Ross said, "Better yet, why don't I pick you up around 8:30 and take you to work myself." They agreed that it was a date, and she gave him her address. They parted ways, neither realizing that fate was dealing them both a funny hand.  
  
Sam and Rachel had an amazing time on their first date together. Rachel was very attracted to him, although she was a little uneasy seeing how she and Ross had just broken up, but she didn't care. Sam had taken the liberty to arrive back at the bar around 6:45, so maybe they could fool around, and he would still have time to clean-up, and open the bar in time. But when the arrived, they were both extremely caught up in each other's kisses, each wanted more. And Sam took her, right there on top of the bar's counter top. The place where people came in and ate off every night. Sam had never done anything like that before, and he was impressed at how exhilerating it was. Even though they both had other people on their minds, the didn't care. It was too new a feeling, and they enjoyed the closeness no matter how hurt they were inside. They went at it once, twice, three, FOUR times, and they both had lost track of time. They went into his office, and he and Rachel curled up together on his couch, naked, and they dozed off. It was 8:45.  
  
Diane had never been on time for anything in her life, as was the case that particular evening. Her shift started at 9, which meant she had to open the bar, and she would be the first there. When Ross came to pick her up, she was just putting on her make-up and curling her hair in rollers. He waited about 15 minutes and then she was finally ready.   
  
They arrived at the bar about 30 minutes later. Diane thought it extremely strange that Sam had left the door unlocked, he was the one that closed the night before. When she and Ross walked into the bar, she flipped on the lights, and Ross let out a scream. When she saw what he was looking at, she about had a heart attack. There were clothes EVERYWHERE! The bar was sopping wet with something she wasn't sure she wanted to know what it was. Then she realized. Sam and some poor girl had done it, right on top of the bar. They were probably in his apartment now, but they were clearly gone. Ross was mortified, and he insisted on sitting at a table, not near the bar. Diane laughed at his naivety, and she pulled him into Sam's office, so she could start opening the bar. She walked in, and realized there were people in there. She thought, 'Oh, dear Lord, what if the bar was broken into? I'll die. Sam'll die. I've got to stop them.' She noticed that Ross was still disgusted with the condition the bar was in. But he was behind her following her line of vision. She creeped around the door and flipped on the lights, and she heard Ross scream, "RACHEL?!?!?" Diane flipped around and did the same thing, "AUGH! SAM MALONE, WHAT IN HELL ARE YOU THINKING?!?!?" There was some girl and Sam fully exposed on his couch. Then she looked at Ross suspiciously and said, "You know her?" Ross sighed heavily, and said sadly, "You could say that." Then Rachel started to come to, and she kept saying, "Sam, sweetie, oh Sam, where are you?" Sam heard this, and startled, he wrapped his arms around her and said, "I'm here baby, no one will ever hurt you again." Then they kissed, and then they noticed they weren't alone. Simultaneously they shouted, "Ross/Diane what are you doing here?!?" Diane said, "We could ask you two the same thing." Then Rachel and Sam had a realization, again simultaneously they said, "THAT'S your EX?!?"  
  
to be continued  
  
hehe... I just love Cheers! We need some fanfic writers for that area too, so if you have a good Cheers fic, start posting it and let's get that section up and running. :) Anyways, please review, and I'll try to get the next part up before Christmas. 


	2. Breaking up or making up?

Sam and Rachel immediately started covering themselves with the blanket that Sam had in his office. Diane stormed out of the office and then out of the bar. Ross just stood there stunned. He numbly looked at Rachel and said, "Rach, the others'll be here in about an hour. They're all looking forward to meeting this dream man of yours." Rachel was shocked that of all the people in the world to walk in on her and Sam it had to be Ross. She teared up and sadly said, "Ross, I'm so sorry. This should've never happened. Please don't go. I love YOU! Not Sam, and he knows it. Ross please, listen to me. I want US to work out. Tell me it will." Ross just shook his head sadly and said, "Whatever chance there once was, it's gone now. I'm sorry too Rach, but I have to go calm Diane down. She's my date tonight. I'll be back, maybe, with Diane so she can meet my friends. God, Rachel Karen Green, I loved you more than life itself. Bye, Sam. Take care of her, will ya?" Sam was kinda freaked, but he replied, "I will, you better not hurt my Diane, okay?" Ross just nodded, and he was gone. Rachel turned to Sam and said, "I'm sorry about that. I guess we both just lost our true loves, huh?" But Sam, being as stubborn as he is, just looked at Rachel, and said, "It's not too late. We'll get them back, that is, unless you want to give me and you a try."  
  
"Sweetie, I truly enjoyed today. But, I think we both know that we had other people on our minds."  
  
"You're right. It's just I really feel like you're such an awesome woman, and I wouldn't want an opportunity to be with you to pass me up without me knowing about it."   
  
"Sam, Diane truly doesn't know what she's losing."   
  
"Neither does Ross. He's a fool, but I know that he'll be back."  
  
She kinda giggled, and Sam just looked at her funny and said, "What?"   
  
"See, I have this friend, Phoebe who's a bit eccentric but still sweet. She says that Ross and I will never break-up permanently because we're lobsters, meaning that we're soulmates because once lobsters find someone they never let their mate go."   
  
"I like that. I think that perhaps Diane and I could be lobsters."   
  
"I think the two of you already are. Now we might want to go clean-up that lovely little mess we made outside before the rest of your workers get here not to mention your customers, they might be disgusted. Plus, we need our clothes."   
  
They gave each other one last kiss, and then Sam put the blanket around his waist and collected his and Rachel's clothes. After they were dressed, Rachel helped him open the bar up for the customers who were probably wondering why the heck they weren't open yet.   
  
Ross fled out into the street after Diane, who was outside crying. She just looked at Ross and said, "God, Ross I am terribly sorry that this happened. I didn't realize that Sam would ever do something like that in the bar. Well, at least on the bar. I feel so awful, I was trying to use you to get back at him, and then in the process our exes ended up destroying us." Ross replied, "Diane, it's okay, I was using you too. I love Rachel, but I get the impression that she loves Sam. But I really like you a lot, and I would love to spend some time getting to know you." She just reached up and kissed him hard on the mouth to a point where both were breathless. Then she looked at him longingly and said, "How about we go to my place for awhile, Rachel can work in my place tonight, I'm sure Sam doesn't expect me back this evening."   
  
Then they kissed again, and Carla stumbled upon them, surprised at what she was seeing. She just said, "Hey, you idiot-the-funny-hair, what are you doing with her? You could do SO much better than DIANE! Even Sam learned his lesson about her." Ross just looked at the tiny, but loud, woman confused and said, "Um... I'm sorry. WHO ARE YOU?!"  
  
"I'm Carla Tortelli, the one and only. Diane knows me as her worst nightmare though."  
  
Diane just rolled her eyes and jumped in, "C'mon, Ross, let's go back to my place for awhile, and get our own revenge as planned."   
  
Ross grinned, "Let's go, but let's get some dinner first, okay?"   
  
"That sounds great."   
  
"Good."  
  
Carla shook her head and thought to herself, 'Poor sap, doesn't know what he's getting himself into.' She turned and walked into the bar only to come face-to-face with some blonde girl wearing a waitress's apron. She told the girl, "Okay, what's the deal? Who are you? And why are you wearing Diane's apron? Oh, wait, are you one of Sam's chicks?" Rachel eyed the small woman indignantly, and automatically disliked her and her haughty attitude. She replied hastily, "No, I am NOT one of Sam's 'women', but I AM working here for tonight since Diane is so angry with him."   
  
"Oh, that explains it. Well, have fun... what's your name?"   
  
"Rachel Green."   
  
"Okaaaaaay... Miss Green."   
  
Carla sauntered over to Sam and said, "I like her. She's a keeper. Is she good?" Sam shot Carla a look to kill, and looked over at Rachel-who was blushing, and he said, "Carla, let's go talk in my office."   
  
Diane allowed herself to be led home by Ross Gellar, after dinner, of course. She knew they probably wouldn't do anything they'd regret, but gosh! She was extremely angry at this Rachel person for taking away the last smidgen of hope she had left to get back together with Sam. She knew in her heart that this was just a fling and it wouldn't last, but it still hurt her intensely.   
  
Ross just couldn't believe he had let the love of his life get away because she was clubbing with his sister! Rather than the romantic week of fine dining and hopefully an engagement ring, he was stuck comforting the ex-girlfriend of the man who was now with the woman HE loved more than anything! He let Diane lead him inside her apartment, which smelled of cinnamon and apples. And they sat down and had pleasant conversation. He realized that she was actually VERY smart and they they had a lot in common. At one point, they were interrupted by the phone ringing, but Diane had said that it was nobody special, just a salesman. But Ross noticed she seemed a bit nervous about the call itself, and he wondered if it had anything to do with that jerk, Sam. He learned a lot about Diane that evening. She was an aspiring writer, and he admired her for having goals. He let himself momentarily think of Rachel and that her only goals in life were to do something with clothes. Diane kept thinking that this new man in her life would lean over and kiss her, but he never did. She realized that this probably had a lot to do with Sam's new hussy. So, acting on a whim of hormones and jealousy, she leaned in to kiss Ross HARD on the lips, and when he didn't break away, she pressed herself against him. Then there was a sound coming from the other side of the door,and then there was a knock on her door, and she heard Sam yell, "C'mon, Diane, open up! The doorman said that you're here! Please! I really need to talk to you, oh, and Rachel's here too." Hearing her name, Ross jerked away from Diane and fled to open the door. But Diane just calmly walked upto him and placed her lips back on his. 'What the hell, eh?," Ross thought.  
  
That evening, The bar just didn't have the usualy bussle and busyness that it usually did. Norm and Cliff weren't even there yet. It was just a couple people waiting to get upstairs for dinner at Melville's. Rachel was in heaven here. There weren't many people to wait on, and they were extremely patient when she messed up the orders twice. She was making a ton in tips, mainly because the people told her that she prevented them from having to be waited on by Carla. Sam was getting ready to close the place for an hour or so, when a group of four walked in and demanded a table. Rachel was in the back, so he went over and said, "I'm sorry, but can this wait, I have some unfinished business that I need to take care of with this girl, and I'm afraid it can't wait. But if you would come back later, I'll buy ya a round of beers." The blonde lady shook her head vigourously and said, "This can't wait either, has a petite woman with lots of blonde layered hair been in here? She has green eyes. We're supposed to meet her here this evening and meet her new boyfriend or whatever."   
  
Sam knew the description was a tad familiar, and it was proven true, when Rachel came out of his office and shrieked, "Oh You guys FINALLY made it! I've been waiting for an hour! Oh, everyone, (she motioned to Sam) this is Sam, he's the guy I told Phoebe about." Monica grinned and said, "Good job Rach! By the way, have you seen Ross today? He said he'd meet us here." Rachel looked flustered at the mention of Ross and Sam jumped in and said to Rachel, "Oh, is that the guy that walked in on us earlier with Diane?" Rachel shook her head nervously, this was not how she wanted to tell her friend that Ross had seen her naked with another man. But it was too late. Monica just stared at Rachel in shock and said, "You slept with HIM!? HERE?!? Rachel, that's disgusting! Was he good?" Rachel just shook her head, and she turned to Sam and said, "Can we use your office? Ross is her brother. I need to talk to Monica about this."   
  
"Sure, sweetheart, I think I'll give Diane a call while you're in there."  
  
"Oh, that's a good idea!"  
  
Rachel turned to the gang, and asked them to join her in Sam's office. When they obediently followed her, she started explaining to them everything that had happened the night before and how Ross, not she, but Ross called the relationship. And how that morning, she was walking around when, on a chance, she happened to meet Sam, whom she liked immensely, but saw no future with him. The gang all agreed that they needed to find Ross and get him and Rachel back together as soon as they possibly could. When Rachel left the office, she heard Sam on the phone. He said, "Diane, sweetie, why won't you just answer my question? ... I know you're not MY sweetie anymore, but where's Ross? ... Rachel really, really, really loves him, and if he doesn't get down here back to her soon, he's going to regret it! ... How do I know? ... Because I know how it feels to regret letting the one person you love go. ... Yes, that's you! Geez, who'd you think I was talking about? ... Okay, I'll wait. ... Okay, I'll be right over with Rachel. Thank you sooooo much. Oh, and Diane, Maybe we should have a talk about our break-up as well. ... Good. Bye." Sam turned to Rachel with two evident emotions in his eyes: relief and love. But it was love for the woman whom he had just gotten off the phone with, not Rachel. He just looked at her and grinned, then he slowly said, "Well, baby, I think we're going to be able to get the two of you back together after all."   
  
Rachel burst out into a set of fresh, elated tears. Then she just ran and hugged Sam -- tightly. Carla watched the two in awe, and then with a note of disappointment said, "Oh, does that mean that she's leaving, and Di-Di-Di-DIANE's coming back? Oh, Lord, I thought you were finished with that torture! Make it go away! Please!"   
  
Sam just rolled his eyes, and kissed Rachel's cheek, and asked when she wanted to go get Ross. He wasn't too surprised when she said, "Now." Rachel, once again, rounded up Chandler, Monica, Phoebe, and Joey, and they all rode in the rental van to Diane's apartment. Sam and Rachel decided to go on in while the others just stayed in the car. Sam rang the doorbell, and then knocked on the door. Nobody answered. 'Hmm... that's strange,' he thought to himself. He screamed, "C'mon, Diane, open up! The doorman said that you're here! Please! I really need to talk to you, oh, and Rachel's here too." Then he realized that he had a key, so he just opened it up and walked in. They were both a little surprised to see Diane just about forcing herself on Ross, who looked like he was struggling to get away. Rachel fainted at the sight before her--it hurt to much. Ross tore himself away from Diane and said, "Damnit, what the hell are you doing? I LOVE Rachel! I thought I made that clear to you! What are you thinking?" Diane retorted, "You know you wanted it Ross! We kissed earlier and I didn't hear a single complaint! If you truly loved this woman, you would've had self-control!" Sam had a realization at that moment. He said, "Diane, you didn't tell Ross we were coming did you? You said that you thought that you and I had a chance to get back together! You lied, huh? Why Diane, why did you do this?"   
  
By this time, Diane had whitened, and she did even moreso when Sam, yelled, "Goddamnit Diane!!! It's bad enough that you and I broke up! But did you HAVE to ruin these perfectly nice peoples' lives as well?! I TOLD YOU THAT I WANTED YOU BACK!! What more do you want? No, wait, I'm going to do what I want! I'm going to beat your head in!" Diane was white and Sam was red.   
  
Ross, however, was on the floor kneeling by and reviving Rachel, who woke up and kissed Ross fiercely on the mouth, and said, "Never again, both of us, please! Let's just be together again, and forget this day! Please! Ross I love YOU! And I know that it's ME you love." Ross and Rachel were crying and he said, "Oh, sweetie, of course, but before anything happens again, I have one question for you: Rachel Karen Green, will you marry me and make me the happiest man ever alive?" Now Rachel was sobbing but she choked, "Yes, I will marry you!"   
  
Sam and Diane watched the happy couple in utter awe. They had each done something that could have ruined their lives, but they were willing to forget it. Sam and Diane were so intrigued with the notion that they barely flinched when Rachel said, "Thank you guys so much. We'll drop by the bar tomorrow evening, but now we need to celebrate the right way, and get back to Chandler, Mon, Joey, and Pheebs. They're probably wondering what the hell happened to us." Ross agreed, and they kissed again. They left hand in hand. Sam looked at Diane tenderly, and said, "God, I want what they have." Diane looked at Sam with the same tenderness and said, "Oh, Sam, so do I." And they kissed, restarting the relationship that each thrived off so greatly.  
  
The next day, Rachel woke up in Ross's arms. Phoebe had roomed with Chandler the night before. Rachel just knew that the events that had taken place the past two days had to be a dream, but then when Ross woke up, he reminded her that they were going to Cheers that evening to say bye to Sam and Diane. Then Ross got up and started rummaging through his bag. Rachel watched curiously as he pulled out a tiny jewelry box and got on one knee, and said, "Last night, the proposal was sort of a hurried thing. Today, now that I know what your answer will be, I'm going to do it right. I love you, Rachel! Even though we had some problems this week, I never intended to let you go. I was trying to throw you off from the fact that I had this week planned for months. The week that I would propose to you during Dinner on the U.S. Constitution in Boston Harbor. But that didn't work out. This incident has brought us even closer together, and I think we will always be grateful to Sam and Diane for it. But now I have the ring, and it's time this was said properly. You're my heart and my soul. I love you with my very being, and nothing can top that in my life. I will always love you, no matter what lies ahead, you and I can face it together. That is, if you're willing to stay with me forever. Rachel Karen Green, once again, will you do me the honor of being my wife, and make me the happiest man in the universe?" Rachel giggled and said, "I said yes once already, whatever made you think that I would say no? Of course I'll marry you, honey!" They kissed and Ross slipped the diamond and platinum ring on her finger." Ross just said, "Well, I guess we better head downstairs for breakfast. Then I have to go to work, but I'll be back by the hotel around 7 so we can go to Cheers together, okay?" Rachel nodded her head and the two prepared for the day.  
  
That same morning, Sam woke up and realized that he was back in Diane's apartment, and that they were back together. He whispered, "YES!" But Diane was already awake, and she giggled at Sam's behavior. Sam was confused when she went in the bathroom and was sick. But she came back with a smile on her face. Sam noticed that she was practically glowing. She giggled again, and motioned for Sam to follow her to the den. He sat down on her couch and she sat beside him. She said, "Sam, the reason I was so upset at our break-up was not necessarily that of that I thought we wouldn't end up together, because I know we will. It was more of an issue of your being around for the next 7 1/2 months and after that." Sam looked thoroughly confused and said, "Huh? What's happening in 7 1/2 months? 'Cuz you can be damn sure that I'll be there during it...I think." Diane grinned and said, "God, Sam, You have no idea how hard it was to keep this from you the night we broke up! But we're having a baby! You and me, together. That's why I was sooo jealous that you had slept with another woman. Because I am carrying YOUR child!" A grin plastered itself across Sam's face. He said, "You and me? We're having a baby." Diane nodded excitedly. "Oh, Diane, sweetheart, that's FANTASTIC! I'm going to be a daddy, and you're going to be a mommy! This kid will be gorgeous with our genes in it! Wait 'til we tell the others about this!"  
  
Later that evening, after a romantic dinner at a little Italian restaurant, Ross and Rachel headed to Cheers to say their farewells to the new friends that each had made. Sam and Diane were inside kissing when Ross and Rachel walked in. Rachel just said, "Aaaaawwww. Will you look at them, Ross. All made up like I knew you would be." Sam just grinned and said, "Hey, you're just in time! Diane and I were about to make an announcement to the bar, and I think maybe you guys should be a part of it, after all, if it wasn't for you, we may not have ended up together." Ross said, "Okay, man." They sat at the front of the bar and Rachel was gabbing away with Norm about how she 'Absolutely could NOT stay in Boston just to serve his beer, no matter what the payment."   
  
Sam and Diane walked out of his office with a piece of paper in Sam's hands. They headed toward the steps and Sam yelled, "Attention, everybody! Diane and I have another announcement to make, although I'm sure you're sick of them by now." Carla looked at the two frantically, and Norm clapped his hands over her mouth, Cliff grabbed her hands, and Coach held onto her ankles so she couldn't go anywher or say anything. Diane continued, "As most of you know, well all except Carla, Sam and I got back together last night after realizing how much we love each other." Carla let out a strangled-sounding noise. Sam continued, "The thing that none of you know, however, is that Diane and I declared our love officially this morning by getting married." The bar let out a huge cheer for Sam and Diane. Carla bit Norm and let out a scream that could churn butter. So Norm grabbed her neck, because if set loose, she would kill Diane on the spot. Diane said, "Wait, everybody, there's more. Sam and I are expecting a child in 7 1/2 months." Carla started crying and saying over and over, "They're really together, Sam and that mullet-head are really together now. I hate her!" Rachel let out a shriek and ran over and gave the couple a huge hug, with Ross right behind ready to do the same thing.   
  
Later that evening after hours of good conversation, Ross and Rachel bid Sam and Diane a fond farewell, and the promise to stay in contact after they left. So one couple went back to New York to prepare for a wedding, while the other stayed in Boston to prepare for a baby.  
  
Don't worry, there's an epilogue to this that I'm trying to finish. Hopefully will be up within the month. Keep reading and reviewing! :) 


	3. The irony of true love

22 Years Later  
  
Ashleigh Sarah Gellar bounded down the steps of her old home. She had some fantastic news for her parents, and she couldn't wait to see the look on their faces when she told them. She was on summer break from Harvard and was home from Boston. She was back in New York, and she was thrilled to be there. Sadly, she realized that this could be her last full summer in New York, but then after a quick glance at her hand, she remembered that that in itself could be an excellent thing. She had called her best friend and ex-boyfriend, Joseph Tribbiani III (Joe), and had told him all about her recent engagement. He had laughed because their parents and their parents' friends all thought that the two would wind up together eventually. In fact, none of them even knew that Ashleigh and himself had broken up. She looked in the driveway and saw that Joey and Phoebe were there. In fact, so were Chandler and Monica. 'How convenient,' she thought to herself. She walked in the door and was almost immediately enveloped in a hug by her mother and her two younger sisters, Meghan Alexia and Claire Elizabeth, and her 5 year old brother, Elijah James. The whole gang was in the kitchen, expectantly waiting to hear what they thought she was going to say, but first Joe had to arrive. Rachel and Phoebe were secretly planning on a huge engagement party for their children, who were obviously secretly betrothed, that weekend.   
  
Phoebe and Joey had married about 3 years after Ross and Rachel, because Phoebe was pregnant. In fact, Phoebe got pregnant almost at the exact same time Rachel did. Phoebe's pregnancy was fantastic, and she was surprised when her son came out, followed very closely by a sister, named Lily Rose. But she and Joey decided that Joe and Lil were enough, so she had her tubes tied. Chandler and Monica were the last to wed, but she became pregnant not even 3 months after Phoebe's twins and Rachel's daughter were born. She had 5 kids, so she won in that area. Her oldest was Monique Rachelle, then there was Christopher Adam, then Michelle Elyse, then Luke Daniel, and finally, their miracle, Nickolas Brhett. The baby was born about 3 years ago, and way past most women's menopausal years, he was their own little miracle. When Joe arrived, Ashleigh was starting to get anxious about her news. They sat down together, like it was expected, and after dinner was about halfway over, Ashleigh stood up and said, "I have an announcement to make. The most important thing in my life has happened." Rachel looked at her daughter curiously and wondered how rude she could be. She said, "Ash, honey, don't you mean that the two of you have news?" Ashleigh looked at her mom's expression and giggled. How surprised Rachel was going to be about this. "No, Mom, Joe and I don't have any news together at all anymore... in fact, we broke up almost a month ago." Phoebe jumped in furiously, "Joseph Tribbiani, what did you do to break this girl's heart?" Joe looked scared, and replied, "Nothing, she dumped me, and now I'm glad she did."   
  
Ashleigh broke in with laughter and said, "Okay, everyone, give me five minutes to explain. Joe did absolutely nothing. He was a perfect boyfriend. I thought I loved him. But one day I was walking down my usual path, when this guy bowled me over and sprained my elbow. He offered to take me to dinner to make up for it, and he and I hit it off. Since Joe and I were allowed to see other people, I figured it was okay to start kinda dating him. So I did. And after about six months, he proposed. I've been engaged to him for almost a month now, but I thought it would be better to tell you in person than over the phone so I could see your faces. Plus, Joe and Monique have secretly been dating and are planning on getting married." Rachel jumped up and hugged her daughter fiercely, she said, "Oh, honey, I'm so happy you're in love! What's his name?" "Bradley Eric Malone... you ever hear of Sam Malone the pitcher? It's his son!" Rachel paled, and looked to Ross nervously ... just before she fainted.  
  
***  
  
Meanwhile, Brad was driving home in his father's old corvette that Sam had given him when he turned 18, so he'd had it for about 3 1/2 years. They had only met Ashleigh once, because Brad thought it better to play it safe rather than get his parents' hopes up for marriage. He thought about his beautiful dark-haired, green-eyed fiancee and grinned. He realized that he was extremely lucky to be marrying someone so close in personality to his mother. He was a bit more like his father than his mother, but he definitely had Diane's eyes--a clear blue. He hoped that she was having luck with telling her parents that she and Joe, her best friend, wouldn't be getting married at all.   
  
He stepped into his house only to find it empty. There was a note from his dad saying that he was at cheers with Jacob Thomas, Brad's baby brother. He was really confused as to why his mother wasn't inside cooking like usual. But she was ouside with Carla and Brad's little sister, Lucy Cherish (Diane chose that name much to Sam's protests), and Carla was trying to teach Lucy how to hit a baseball better, while Diane was running everytime the ball came near her. Gosh, how he wished that Ash was there with him right then. He remembered that he was supposed to call Ashleigh when the phone rang. It was Ashleigh. He tried to contain his grin while talking to her, because he looked like an idiot. He had the same expression on his face that he sometimes caught his father giving his mother during "private times." But that grin was to quickly fade when Ashleigh explained to him rather hurriedly where she was. She was at the hospital, her mother, Rachel had just had a heart attack.  
  
***  
  
Ross, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, Ashleigh, Meghan, Claire, and Elijah all waited impatiently outside of the O.R. where Rachel was receiving open-heart surgery. During this, Ross was trying to explain to Ashleigh just exactly whom Sam Malone was to her family. And how Sam and her mother had even slept together. But Ashleigh didn't care, to her, it was almost as if she and Brad were meant to be, because their parents already knew and liked each other.  
  
Ross's head was in a tailspin from the moment his oldest daughter, his pride and joy, had announced that she was to wed one of his wife's ex-lover's sons! He couldn't believe that Sam and Diane had actually got married and stayed that way--they seemed even rockier than he and Rachel had been. But he didn't feel like he was being fair about the whole ordeal, after all, they had never come straight out and told their children that they were engaged at some complete stranger's house. So, maybe, it would work out between his daughter and this man who's parents were ghosts of his and Rachel's love lives. His thoughts were interrupted when a tired-looking doctor came out to explain about Rachel.  
  
***  
  
Brad sat at the phone waiting frantically for some sort of news about his beloved's family. He was concerned that something was amiss, but he wasn't quite sure what exactly it was yet. Sam had just walked in the door with Jacob in tow. Jacob was due to graduate this year from high school. Diane was upstairs taking a shower, and Lucy was trying to teach Carla how to play tea-party, Lucy was just 9 years old, and had been a complete shock to Sam and Diane.   
  
He realized that he was going to have to explain to his parents that he was, in fact, in love with a girl that they had only met once and that the two were planning to wed within 5 months. Barely enough to time to plan a big wedding. Ashleigh already had reserved a quiet little chapel near Central Park and she already had just about the whole wedding party figured out. Brad was getting more and more excited about marrying this woman as the days went on. The phone call finally came around dinner-time, and everyone was sitting down waiting to be served. Brad jumped up to answer it, and he was thoroughly relieved that Rachel was okay, and would be back to normal in a couple weeks. But she told him something of the most disturbing nature, something that he would have to take up with his parents immediately.  
  
Sam and Diane anxiously watched their oldest son as he talked on the phone. They could both tell that he had fallen head-over-heels in love with a girl, and they were thrilled beyond words for him. They just hoped to meet the lady soon. Brad returned to the table with a tired look in his eyes. Diane said, "What's wrong honey?" Exasperated, Brad just said, "Mom, out of curiosity, before you and Dad got married, did the two of you ever meet a Ross Gellar or Rachel Green?"   
  
Sam's eyes widened immediately, how could he ever forget Rachel? She was the woman who showed him that Diane was indeed his true love. Ross Gellar was the man that had asked Rachel to marry him at Diane's apartment right before Diane told Sam that she was pregnant. Diane remembered the two very well also. Sam gulped, and slowly said, "Yes, I do recall that we knew the two of them at one time." Brad looked as if he was going to cry, and said, "Oh, gosh! Dad why in hell did you have to be such a damn womanizer? Why didn't you back off of Rachel? You slept with her didn't you?" Diane couldn't believe that her son had just spoken to the man that he had always respected most in such a tone. She jumped in, "Who are you to judge your father? He and I had broken up, and Rachel and Ross had broken up! It was a one-night thing! She got engaged the next day! And why does it matter anyways?" Sam chimed in with, "Yeah, why exactly does it matter?" Brad looked from one to the other and with a bit of anger in his eyes, he stated, "Because I am engaged to be wed to Ashleigh Sarah Gellar, Ross and Rachel's oldest daughter! But now, her parents aren't too sure about approving the marriage, because of a stupid mistake you made over 20 years ago!!" Sam and Diane looked at each other in shock, right before Diane fainted in the same manner Rachel had, but she didn't have a heart attack.  
  
After Diane had come to, Brad sat down with his parents to discuss what was about to take place. After recieving the initial blows, Diane and Sam decided to support whatever it was that Brad wanted, but only after seeing Ross and Rachel again. And they decided to hold off on their plans that they had intended on explaining that very evening - they had had enough of each other, they had filed for divorce. It wasn't that they didn't love each other, they loved each other dearly. It was more for Diane the fact that Sam's eyes always wondered each time a blond-headed big-chested beauty walked into the bar, and also how he was so stubborn. She had decided to be stubborn back when he told her to tell him how she felt or he'd leave, so she blamed herself. For Sam, it was more of how Diane still treated him like an inferior intelligence form and how she went on jealousy rages all the time. He hated how damn stubborn she could be, and specifically recalled the night he had held her in his arms last. He had asked her if she still loved him, and when she wanted to know if he did, he knew that she didn't love him at all, and that the couple was a thing of the past. But now, here they were making plans for their eldest son's happiest day of his life, and they were having to come face-to-face with the couple that made them see the light of their love the first time around. Sam couldn't help but kinda wonder if perhaps, it was a bit too ironic, that they same couple that got them together, would be the couple to see them fall apart at the seams.  
  
Diane had declared to Brad that she and her "husband" would accompany him to New York City within the next week to pay a visit to Ross, Rachel, and her future daughter-in-law, Ashleigh. Sam dreaded the whole encounter, as did Diane. But they both knew that this would be necessary, after all, they would have to share wedding arrangements and future grandkids with these people. Sam was dreading it for completely different reasons, however. He felt that it would kill him to see the couple that they had reaffirmed love by still together and going strong. He would have to see them so very much in love, and that would hurt. But for his eldest son's sake, he would go with it.  
  
***  
Ashleigh was waiting impatiently at LaGuardia for her fiancee and her future in-laws. When she finally caught a glimpse of Brad, she ran as fast as she could to meet him. He was ready for her, and he caught her and swung her around and kissed her lips passionately. Diane and Sam caught each other's eye for a moment, almost in longing, but Diane quickly looked away. She was more than ready to spend some time with Ross and Rachel, although she didn't have a clue why.   
  
After the happy couple had finished kissing, Ashleigh informed Diane that she and her mother really would enjoy it if she came wedding-dress hunting the next day along with her Aunt Phoebe, Aunt Monica, her sisters, her female cousins, and her best-friend, Joe--who insisted that he had to be there. Diane's face lit up, and she grinned. She accepted the invitation, because it would be nice to get away from Sam. Ashleigh looked from Sam and Diane curiously, they hadn't said more than two words to each other since they had arrived, and she said, "Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you. Mom and Dad really, really want you two to go to dinner with them on Friday evening. They want to get reacquainted and catch up on what you've missed out on these past years, oh yeah, Brad, where are your little brother and sister?" Brad grinned and said, "Actually, they're staying with Woody and Kelly, and their two kids, this week while we're gone."   
  
When the caravan finally arrived at Ross and Rachel's little house, Brad was jumped on by his future in-laws. Rachel kept kissing his cheek, and Ross kept grinning and patting his back. At one point Rachel had leaned over to Ross and casually said, "He's the spitting image of Sam, but he's definitely got Diane's eyes! I can't believe it, it's like I've stepped into a time machine back to hell week!" Ross had grinned and kissed his wife. When Diane and Sam had gotten out of the taxi next, they were jumped as well. Rachel went up to Sam, and gave him a full-blown kiss on the lips, as Ross did to Diane. Rachel squealed, and ran over and gave Diane a huge hug. Ross just shook Sam's hand, he was still a tad wary of this man. Sam looked around at the little house before him and had to admit that Ross and Rachel had done very well for themselves.   
  
Ross had just looked on in jealousy when his wife had ran over to Sam and grabbed his hand, and insisted that he let her show him around. Diane had refused the earlier offer from Rachel, because she wanted to just sit down for awhile. So Rachel was showing Sam around her quaint, but comfy little house, when Sam burst out into tears when a picture on the wall of her bedroom caught his eyes. It was a picture of Ross and Rachel, the night after they had gotten engaged, taken at Cheers. Sam and Diane were in the background, kissing. Rachel forced Sam down on the chair, shut and locked the door, and demanded to know what was going on. She said, "Sam Malone! You were there for me when I needed comfort, and now I'm going to be here for you. What in hell's going on? Ashleigh said that you and Diane barely even spoke to each other on the way here. Now I know that's not at all like Diane. Now you're acting all sappy and sad, and that's definitely weird. What's happened?"  
  
Sam shook his head sadly, looked Rachel straight in the eye and said, "Rachel, I can't tell you, it would ruin everything. Just know that I'm trying so hard to get her back."  
  
Rachel looked at him in utter shock, her instincts had been right! Sam and Diane Malone were getting divorced! She spoke a little softer this time, and said, "Sam, it's okay. I won't breathe a word to anyone. You know you can trust me." Silence from Sam, so she tried again, "Look, I can see that you two are heading to Divorce-City. And I know how much you two love each other, so I'm not going to let it be that simple. Fight for her, Sam! Like you did the last time! Get your woman back! And I'm going to help."   
  
Sam looked at Rachel curiously, she hadn't changed much at all in the past 22 years. He just shook his head in amazement and said, "Rachel, thank you."   
  
Rachel replied, "Don't mention it." 


	4. They finally find each other

*2 Days Before the Wedding*  
  
Rachel's Point-of-View  
  
Well, these past few months have been a nightmare! When Ashleigh and Brad announced the date, Diane and I almost died. We barely had 5 months to make all the arrangements. I told Ross (and Monica later on) about Sam and Diane's little ordeal, and we are both still struggling to get them back together properly. Sam's trying so hard, and I know that deep-down Diane wants to get back together too, but she just won't cooperate. Now we only have two days left, before Diane publicly announces this at MY daughter's wedding reception. We're running out of ideas, but now that Monica's been clued in, the ideas are coming a lot easier.  
  
The wedding parties have been chosen. Much to Ash's dismay, Joe was not allowed to be her maid of honor, although he was game. Instead Meghan will be recieving that honor. She's going to have Monique, Lily, Claire, and Michelle for her bridesmaids. Joe took a ton of time picking out his groomsmen. But it's come down to Sam, his dad, as best man, and Jacob,Joe, Chris, and Luke as the groomsmen. Elijah will be the ring-bearer and Lucy will be the flower-girl. Today are the final fittings for the wedding gown, the dresses, the tuxes, and everybody else's clothes for people that are special to the kids (Mon, Chandler, Phoebe, Joey, Carla, Woody, Kelly, and Fraiser. (Norm and Cliff couldn't make it)). Ashleigh picked pale blue for the bridesmaids's dresses, so I'm wearing a cream colored dress that's extremely formal but not too stiff. The men are all wearing black tuxes, which will make a beautiful contrast. Ashleigh's going to be so beautiful. Now only if I could get Sam and Diane patched up and back to normal...  
  
Back to normal view  
  
Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, and Diane all waited nervously for Ashleigh to come out of the dressing room. When she did, everybody in the room turned to look, and all let out a sigh. The dress suited her perfectly. Once that was done, Rachel tried on her dress, and it fit too. Diane was going to be wearing a pale pink dress, while Monica would be wearing a simple black dress. Once everything had been fit to perfection and the last minute alterations were made, the 5 made their way back to Monica's house, because there were too many people at Rachel's house for the time being.  
  
Ross, Sam, Chandler, and Joey had sat around Rachel's living room all morning. Strangely enough, there wasn't a game on, but rather the men were having a heart-to-heart about the women in their lives, and they wer all giving Sam advice on how to get Diane back. In a rare moment, however, it was Joey who had the best idea. He had advised, "Sam, if you can tell me the most romantic moment the two of you had when it was just you two, without the kids, then all you have to do is recreate that moment. And Diane will be so in love with you again, that she'll come flying back into your arms, and you can be happy again." Sam and the guys had grinned and agreed, but then Sam said, "That's a FANTASTIC idea Joe, but the most romantic moment between Diane and I was after Ross and Rachel had left that night, engaged, when I admitted that I was in love with her."   
  
Ross jumped up and said, "Hell, no! You're not sleeping with Rachel again! I won't let it happen, sorry dude!" Sam jumped back in, "Dude, calm down, I was only saying... Hey, that next weekend Diane and I took a little trip to the countryside in Maine. We had a hotel room with a mini-bar, and a hot-tub. It was pretty romantic. And she loved it." Joey's eyes lit up and he said, "Well, is that place still around?"   
  
"I don't know for sure, we haven't been there in a couple years, we used to go everytime we had a break. But then, business got busy, and Diane was busy with the kids. But, maybe if I could call and get some reservations after the wedding...."  
  
"Yeah, do that! That would be awesome!"  
  
"Okay, I will."  
  
Sam called the little place, and told the manager who he was, and he wondered when the next time that his and Diane's "special" room was available, and the manager had sighed and said that tonight was all that was available for the next month and a half. Sam had begged, but finally he gave in and said that he and Diane would be there in about 5 hours. The guys frantically ran around the house, packing Sam and Diane up for the night. They would be back just in time for the rehearsal tomorrow. When the girls got back to Rachel's, they were surprised to find the house in total disarray.   
  
Elijah was outside, and when the girls pulled into the drive, he had run upto Rachel and said, "Mommy, mommy, daddy has a supwise for Diane! He's excited! Oh, yeah, mommy? They messed up your howse! Daddy thinks you're goin to be maaaad!" He eyed Diane and said, "You and Sammy are goin to have sooo much fun tonight! Daddy said so." Diane was confused, and she was even more confused when Sam walked up to her, grabbed her, and kissed her straight on the lips. He had three suitcases in his arms, and he piled them into the car, grabbed Diane, picked her up off the ground, said, "It's time you deserve a good time and break before you watch your oldest get married!", and placed her gently into the car. Ross, Joey, and Chandler had all come outside, and along with the really confused women, they waved good-bye to the couple, whom they all hoped would patch everything up.  
  
Inside of the car, Diane and Sam were sitting in silence about an hour into their trip. Then, Sam turned on the radio, and "Unchained Melody" came on the air. Diane stared at Sam for a few seconds, and then she looked at him, and said rather frankly, "Okay, Sam, what the hell is going on here? You know we have to be back in New York in less than 24 hours, so we can attend our son's rehearsal dinner! Just explain please." Sam looked into Diane's eyes, and he could see that even though her facade was against everything, she was longing for him, just as much as he was longing for her. He simply told her, "I love you, Diane! Why did we let the fire burn out? Why can't you admit that we fit together? Why won't you let down the steel shield that guards your heart? I love you so much, I just wanted to do something utterly special before you let your eldest go down the aisle." Before he was finished, Diane was in tears, "Oh, Saaam!" was all that she was able to choke out. Two hours later they arrived at their hotel, ready to start anew on their relationship.  
  
When they awoke the next morning, they were in each other's arms, for the first time in ages. And they were in love again. Sam had breakfast-in-bed delivered, and he fed Diane. When she finally hopped into the shower, Sam called Ross in NYC, who answered the phone sleepily with a, "'Lo???" Sam grinned in the phone and said, "It's Sam." Ross perked up and said, "Well?"  
  
"Well, she's in the shower right now."  
  
"And what does that mean?"  
  
"It means last night was perfect."  
  
"Are you two going to be okay?"  
  
"Yup, we're back together! We'll see you and Rachel this evening to set up for the rehearsal."  
  
"Okay, man, bye!"  
  
"Bye!"  
  
When Diane steppeed back out, Sam was still lying down in the bed. He beckoned her over, and she sat down beside him, and he handed her a small package. She started crying when she opened it--it was ring guards for her wedding ring, gorgeous ones! He grinned at her, and through tears he said, "Diane, when we get back to Boston, for our next anniversary, will you re-marry me? I mean renew our vows?" She grinned, and said, "Yes, I will marry you again." And they kissed.  
  
That evening, after Sam and Diane arrived at the church with barely minutes to spare, but they made it! Rachel was running around like a chicken with her head cut-off trying to make last minute preparations in the church for the next morning. After everything was finished, Diane walke up to Rachel, gave her a hug and said, "Thank you for putting my life back together once again, I needed it this time." Rachel just grinned.   
  
The wedding went by beautifully, and the day ended with Sam and Diane announcing that they would be renewing their vows on their next anniversary. But everyone agreed that the best part of the day, other than the 5-minute kiss at the end of the ceremony, was when Rachel stood up and gave her toast at the reception:  
"I never thought that the day would come when my baby girl would finally get married--and I really never thought that she would find such a nice young man. But most of all, I'm more than a little amazed at the funny hand that fate dealt Ross, Sam, Diane, and I over 20 years ago! It's the weirdest thing in the world to know that somewhere something was looking down at us and saying that we all needed to have a special place in our hearts for these other people because one day, we would all be thrown back together again in a whirlwind. Of all the couples in the world, I think it's safe to say that Ross and I, and, Sam and Diane probably had two of the shakiest relationships in the world, and here we are...all happy because of one night of pain and torture... because of each other. This is for Love...for True Love! I'm so glad that fate gave me that night to show me my true love, and more than that, I'm glad fate showed us all the path to true love today, between our daughter and your son! To Sam, Diane, Ashleigh, and Brad... To Love! Cheers!  
  
The rest of the party lifted their glasses, and Sam, Diane, Ross, Rachel, Brad, and Ashleigh clinked their glasses together and said, "Cheers!"  
  
*3 years later*  
  
Sam, Diane, Rachel, and Ross all waited patiently for the news. When the doctor finally came out, he announced a surprise, Ashleigh had just given birth to twins: a boy and a girl. The group hugged tightly, and when the went in, Brad and Ashleigh each were holding a baby. Ashleigh held hers up, and said, "This is Faith Love Gellar-Malone." And Brad held his up and said, "This is "Luke Ernie Gellar-Malone." The new grandparents all grinned. Ashleigh explained the names, "Faith and Love come from what our parents taught us most about in life by loving and believing in each other. Ernie is after Coach. We decided that each child should have both our last names in order to know that they come from two seperate families that have much past, and most of all love." That sent the grandparents into tears, and they all hugged each other tightly, ready to face the next chapter of life together with their two new members.  
  
The end 


End file.
